The study investigates the needs of NCE trainees in order to fill the gap between the actual and the expected English language needs of these subjects. It examines the adequacy or otherwise of the minimum standards used to train NCE English Language students. Students from the North-West geographical zone were used as case study to determine what the NCE trainees need to perform effectively at the primary school.

 The study employed an opinion scale on questionnaires on experts and NCE III students to elicit the respondents views on what should constitute the expected language skills needs of the NCE English trainees, which they considered important in the minimum standards, the availability of the skills in the program of study and their understanding of the teaching of the skills. The trainees were also observed on practical teaching using the observation checklist to rate their performance in classroom practices. Five (5) colleges of education were specifically selected. A total of four hundred and fifty (450) respondents were used for the study. Three (3) research questions and three (3) null-hypotheses were raised, tested and answered. Descriptive statistics was the major statistical tool used to analyze the data.

The study revealed among other things that deficit needs were observed in the actual minimum standard of NCE III English students in the language skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammatical structure and teaching methodology. The implication of the gaps observed is that the minimum standard in use is not sufficiently adequate to meet with all the English needs of the trainees. Consequently, the study proposed a merger or marriage of the gaps established with the actual needs by providing a comprehensive syllabus that would meet the needs of NCE English language trainees in all the language skills in the North-west zone. It focuses on the discovered appropriate knowledge and skills required by these trainees to function effectively in the primary school, based on the assessment of their perceived needs that arose in the course of the study.